Post Tribune
Clothes calls are his specialty.
Sue Ter Maat

EAST CHICAGO -- Wearing an elegantly tailored, navy blue suit with a tape measure slung over his neck, Paco Fernandez, president of Paco's Custom Clothiers, rifles through hundreds of fabric swatches for a customer.

After finding a black and white, finely-patterned fabric, he runs over to a box filled with silk ties. He pulls out a pearled gray tie and a black textured tie before explaining the choices to Bill Graves, a 37-year-old advertising executive who lives in Lakes of the Four Seasons.

"The suit is the frame," said Fernandez, who works out of his home in East Chicago. "The tie is the picture."

Offering such sage advice and haute couture expertise helps explain why this businessman with more than 29 years in the clothing industry has been drawing scores of Northwest Indiana professionals.

Carrying the finest fabrics money can buy may be another reason.

"All the fabrics must be of the best quality or I won't deal with it," said the 46-year-old Fernandez, whose father was a state governor of Zacatecas in Mexico and Mexican ambassador to Indonesia and Cuba. "If it bears my name it must come up to my standards. I have learned to appreciate quality in this business."

Paco's Custom Clothiers began last September after Fernandez quit The Custom Shop in Chicago to begin his own business.

Fernandez started with New Jersey-based Custom Shop in 1971 as a salesman at age 19. After many promotions through the years, he was the Midwest clothing director, making him responsible for 33 stores in 11 states.

Customers of Paco's Custom Clothiers can choose between more than 500 shirt fabrics and 1,000 suit fabrics for custom-made apparel.

Fernandez works mainly on the road, carrying suitcases of fabrics to clients' residences, but he occasionally fits customers in his home.

And although starting a new business proved to be hard, Fernandez's sales in the first quarter of this year have already exceeded 90 percent of his estimate for the entire year.

A clothes designer by trade, Fernandez consults with clients about fabrics and measurement. Then he sends the specifications for hand-made clothes to New York City-based Martin Greenfield Clothiers, which also manufactures Donna Karan men's clothing.

For machine-stitched clothing, a Paris-based company called Vestra does the workmanship.

"People refer to me as their clothing broker," Fernandez said. "I look for the best workmanship and fabrics, giving my customers the most reasonable price."

But buying the finest doesn't come cheap.

Suits start at $695 with the top of the line at about $10,000. Shirts can cost from $75 to $500.

But for some, paying a little extra is worth it.

"I hate going to the mall," said Graves, who is thinking about buying a gray suit and shirts from Paco's. "And there aren't that many fine men's clothing stores in the area."

Fernandez sees customers by appointment only.